10 TV Dorm Rooms That Make Us Wish We Were Back in College

Some people think college is all about the books and the studying, but we know that you can’t learn anything if you’re living in squalor. Thankfully, some of our favorite TV characters have already blazed the trail for stylish college living.

In honor of their swanky college digs, we’ve decided to look at 10 cool dorm rooms and college apartments from some of our favorite shows. Forget cramped dorm rooms and bookshelves made from bricks and a few milk crates. These characters know how to live – even on a student budget.

1. Caroline’s and Elena’s Dorm Room on “The Vampire Diaries”

This is the dorm room to which all other dorm rooms should aspire. There are exposed beams, hardwood floors, and light spilling in from window after window. There’s even room to host a frickin’ Thanksgiving dinner. This isn’t just the dorm room of our dreams, it just might be the home of our dreams. All the contrast between dark and light is tasteful, elegant, and make us feel like we’re part of something historic, privileged, and slightly scary.

2. Shoshanna’s Apartment on “Girls”

As if we didn’t already have enough reasons to love Shoshanna, she has to go ahead and have the coolest college apartment ever. This SoHo treasure may have gotten a little help from Mom and Dad’s bank account, but when you can live this well, who cares? Everything from the effusive pink to the repeated Paris motif is perfection.

3. Rory’s Dorm Room on “Gilmore Girls”

Not only does Rory get to go to Yale, but she does so in style. This Gilmore girl doesn’t have to live in some standard, cinderblock dorm room. In fact, she doesn’t have a room at all – she has an actual dorm suite. Even the word suite makes her room seem amazing. There’s a fireplace in the enormous communal sitting area, huge windows, and bright paint.

To top it all off is a collection of shabby chic furniture in soft yellows and pinks that look so perfect you’d think a designer put it together rather than a bunch of college students living on their own for the first time. Oh wait, I guess that’s exactly what Rory’s meddlesome (but generous) grandmother did!

4. Felicity’s Dorm Room on “Felicity”

Oh to live in Felicity’s spacious dorm room with that gorgeous bay window and all the quaint crown molding and stunning hardwood floor. It’s so much easier to make a dorm room look amazing when this is your blank slate.

But it’s not just the architecture that makes us want to bunk with Felicity – it’s the awesome time had by all who enter here. Felicity and her scholarly compatriots were always having so much fun. The dorm brought everyone together to bare their souls, share their talents, and bond over scary movies in the lobby.

5. Kelly’s Dorm Room on “Saved by the Bell”

This is another case where a freshman dorm turns out to be nicer than our first three apartments after college. It’s really more like a two-bedroom apartment than a dorm. And there’s actual color on the walls and a full kitchen. There won’t be any creative culinary hot plate exploration for this gang – and that’s probably what makes us the most jealous of this incredibly unrealistic (but awesome) “dorm room.”

6. Cory’s Dorm Room on “Boy Meets World”

Just because you’re a dude, doesn’t mean you can’t have style. Cory’s dorm room is the perfect blend of masculine and scholarly details. While his room may not seem as spacious as some of the others on our list, it’s still bigger than what we remember having during our college days.

The crisp plaid bedding and floor-to-ceiling curtains create a comfy, inviting vibe. And little details like a simple chrome lamp, retro alarm clock, and neatly-stacked books in the bookcase create a sense of familiarity and nostalgia for our own college days.

7. Willow’s Dorm Room on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”

It’s no surprise that the witch was able to wrangle herself an expansive, single room. And she’s decorated it just the way we’d hoped, with flowing fabrics and a slightly bohemian, gypsy flair. The addition of living plants and (of course) a papasan chair add a homey touch we can’t resist. Full of life and color – and plenty of positive energy – we’d love to hang out in this tranquil, inviting space.

8. Dawson’s Dorm Room on “Dawson’s Creek”

Once again, the manly vibe is totally working. We’ve got plaid bedspreads and plaid curtains. And there aren’t blinds behind these curtains – there are additional, sheer curtains. But what we love the most is the decorative, rather than functional, furniture.

Dawson doesn’t have a bookshelf made of bricks and plywood. His books and knickknacks (a college guy with knickknacks, people!) are housed in a white cabinet on pedestal legs with a glass door and a light to help show off his treasures. Swoon!

9. Lip’s Dorm Room on “Shameless”

This is really a case of the man making the room. Lip’s college dorm at MIT is far less glamorous than the others on our list, but we love it because it’s still a huge step up from his crowded room at home. And because he’s Lip, he infuses the space with his special brand of nonchalant cool and plenty of risky, exciting, and even illegal college-aged shenanigans. And who’s to say his pseudo-girlfriend’s nude mural on the wall isn’t art?

10. Homer’s Dorm Room on “The Simpsons”

Of course Homer’s dorm room is the closest to an actual dorm room of any we’ve seen, and that’s what makes us love it so much. Other than the extra-large bed, this room takes us back to our own college days. Homer’s bookshelf is made from cinderblock bricks and plywood, and he even has a lava lamp. Add the requisite poster of Einstein and it’s like we’ve never left our beloved alma mater.

These dorm rooms and college apartments are so awesome they make us yearn for our own college days. Who knows, if only we’d had the benefit of wealthy relatives and set designers when we were hitting the books, we might have never left.

About The Author

Rebecca Edwards is a pop culture junkie who loves watching, reading about and riffing on her TV addiction du jour. She has been a writer for over two decades. Her current TV obsessions include "Shameless," "True Detective" and "American Horror Story."